A United States congressman, Scott Perry, has accused the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) of financing terrorist organizations, including the Islamic State (ISIS), al-Qaeda, and their local affiliates such as Boko Haram.
Perry made the claims on Thursday during the inaugural session of the Congress’ Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency (DOGE), an advisory body created by former US President Donald Trump. The subcommittee, chaired by billionaire Elon Musk, is tasked with reducing government spending but has been criticized for allegedly obstructing the operations of multiple agencies, including USAID.
While Trump has frequently accused USAID of corruption, Musk has described the agency as a “viper’s nest of radical-left Marxists who hate America” and claimed it engages in “rogue CIA work” and funds bioweapons research, including COVID-19.
Most of these allegations remain unproven, with critics, including many Democrats, accusing Trump and Musk of misrepresenting the agency’s work to justify its shutdown.
Perry alleged that USAID’s annual budget of $697 million, which includes cash shipments to Islamic schools (madrasas), has inadvertently funded terrorist training camps and extremist groups.
“Your money, $697 million annually, plus shipments of cash, funds ISIS, al-Qaeda, Boko Haram, ISIS Khorasan, and terrorist training camps,” he stated in a video circulating on social media.
However, he did not provide evidence to support his claim, and Democrats argue that Republicans are unfairly demonizing USAID in an effort to dismantle it.
Perry also questioned USAID’s spending in Pakistan, claiming that $136 million allocated for the construction of 120 schools had not resulted in any actual buildings. He further criticized the agency’s $840 million education-related programs in Pakistan over the past two decades, along with an additional $20 million spent on educational television for children in remote areas.
In Afghanistan, Perry pointed to USAID’s $60 million Women’s Scholarship Endowment and the $5 million Young Women Lead programs, questioning their impact in a country where the Taliban restricts women’s public engagement.
“You are funding terrorism, and it’s coming through USAID,” he asserted.
Meanwhile, Nigeria continues to battle terrorism, with the military engaged in prolonged conflict against Boko Haram and its offshoot, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).
Both groups have received external funding, particularly ISWAP, which maintains financial ties with ISIS. Boko Haram, following a split in 2016, has largely relied on taxation and violent raids for revenue.
In 2020, a court in the United Arab Emirates convicted six Nigerians for financing Boko Haram, leading the Nigerian government to track other individuals and businesses linked to terrorist funding.
